A cat burglar is on the loose in Oregon.

An Oregon woman has made a hilarious attempt to return the items her cat has stolen from her neighbours. A sign, originally created to alert her neighbours about her thieving cat, has reached far and wide, making the Oregon cat burglar a celebrity!

Kate Felmet of Beaverton, Oregon, placed a large homemade sign which read ‘MY CAT IS A THIEF’ accompanied by a washing line with various stolen items pegged on. It seems Esme the cat has a liking for gardening gloves! Check out the sign here; https://twitter.com/HuffPost/status/1403782489374703616

So far, the sign has reunited a few neighbours with their items. However, it has gone viral on social media, with many Twitter users regaling their own tales of their thieving cats!

There are a number of reasons why cats ‘gift’ or ‘collect’ items for their owners. Some cats may ‘gift’ owners with their favourite toys, and often the motivation behind this is seeking playtime. Cats are also innate hunters and may be simply acting on their ‘prey-retrieval’ instinct (which in some cases may be something as wild and dangerous as a gardening glove…). But it is also thought possible that cats may intentionally bring home ‘gifts’ for their humans, as a thank you for caring for them.

Or perhaps they feel sorry for us as unskilled hunters!